Bhubaneswar/Jamshedpur: Odisha wildlife wing has urged its counterpart in Jharkhand to grant permission to tranquillise tigress Zeenat, if necessary. The tigress is currently in Jharkhand territory.
A 15-member team from Odisha, led by a deputy director-rank officer, is tasked with monitoring the big cat in Jharkhand. It is equipped with all tranquillising gear. However, no decision has been made yet to tranquillise Zeenat. A final decision on darting the cat will be taken if there is a likely situation of conflict with humans, wildlife officials here said.
"As per the standard operating procedure (SOP), in case of a tiger dispersing to another state, certain permission is required. It is natural that a team from the parent habitat (Similipal) tracks its movement with all necessary kits. It is the Odisha wildlife wing's responsibility to dart the feline," chief wildlife warden (Jharkhand) Satyajit Singh told TOI.
Zeenat, released from Similipal Tiger Reserve's soft enclosure on Nov 24, was found in Jharkhand forest on Monday after making an overnight journey on Sunday. The three-year-old tigress was brought from Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve to Similipal to infuse a fresh genetic pool. The existing tigers in Similipal have long been breeding among themselves. Odisha chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha said if there is a need, the right decision will be taken to bring back the tigress using tranquillisation method. "Darting a tiger is not easy, and it is not taken hurriedly," he told TOI.
According to wildlife officials here, based on the latest location of the tiger, it is in a safe zone and not close to human habitat. "We may adopt a soft barrier mechanism for the return of Zeenat. Through this mechanism, we will give the cat the impression that there is no habitation or forest beyond, thus ensuring its return. It is about 35 km from Similipal at present," said Similipal field director Prakash Gogineni. Saba Alam Ansari, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Jamshedpur forest division, refused to pinpoint Zeenat's location citing security concerns. "The tigress is in our territory and within the Chakulia forest range. A joint team, comprising our foresters and our counterparts from Odisha's Simlipal Tiger Reserve are monitoring her movements round the clock," he told TOI on Wednesday.
Ansari said Zeenat has shown no signs of exhaustion and is wandering freely in forests. "The local village dwellers have been forbidden from venturing into the forests. We don't see any threat to her on immediate basis," he added.
Bengal chief wildlife warden Debal Roy said from the Bengal border, the tiger's location was around 10 km on Wednesday morning after it started moving north. Chief conservator of forests Vijay Shalimath and Jhargram DFO Umar Imam said their teams were ready and coordination was ongoing with their counterparts in Jharkhand.
With inputs from Kolkata